VOL. 3CIV. NO. 19. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



149 



hibition witli our rural festivals ns a valuable im- 

 provement which we hope will be continued and 

 extended, and one that I'an be productive of none 

 but good effects. 



It would be a great omission, in speaking of any 

 branch of the fine arts, not to allude to their refin- 

 ing influence upon society. A perception of the 

 be:iutiful and the appropriate is the real basis of 

 refinement. In France and Italy, where;, among 

 all classes, works of art are appreciated, the man- 

 ners of the people, to .-some extent, partake of the 

 graceful result of these tastes. Foreigners pro- 

 nounce Americans to be especially deficient in such 

 characteristics. Yet from the equal relations, we 

 all sustain to eaclioiher, Americans most need that 

 influence, which, by rounding off the rough edges 

 of individual cliaraeteristics, fits man for easy and 

 comfortable intercourse with his fello"s. True re- 

 finement is the most iiiiarir^tocratic principlr in the 

 world, a]iproaching nearer to the simplicity of na- 

 ture just in proportion to the d'-gree of its culture; 

 and he who li:is accustomed himself to contemplate 

 the elenicnts of beauty in the external world, or 

 their emhodyment by the human intellect in words, 

 or in the forms of art, will find himself prepared to 

 fill with propriety any social position. 



With regard to the pictures that composed the 

 collection we have just witnessed, we can only 

 say, they would have done honor to any exhibition, 

 in any place — that they are most creditable to the 

 taste of our citizens, and have been submitted to 

 the use of this society with that liberality which a 

 love of art usually inspires. A list of the subjects 

 with the names of owners has been published. 

 We are informed, by those who best know, that ad- 

 ditions of new and valuable paintings may be ex- 

 pected annually to give novelty to the exhibition. 

 For the Committee, 



S. F. HAVEN, Chairman. 



From the Mark Lane Express. 



PRACTICAL IMPROVEMENTS IN AGRI- 

 CULTURE. 



Sir, — One of the most important subjects for the 

 attention of the practical agriculturist is the na- 

 ture of manures, the manner in which they act, 

 and the best mode of their application. It has 

 long been known that certain substances blended 

 with the soil have the effect of accelerating the 

 growth of vegetables and increasing the crop; but 

 the manner of bringing them into .'.ction, and of 

 adapting them to the nature of the soil to be im- 

 proved, has long been a subject of discussion. 

 Chemistry, and more particularly that branch of it 

 which shows the nature and composition of soils, 

 will assist in this research, inasmuch as it should 

 be the study of the farmer to correct the defects 

 and supply the deficiences of the land on which his 

 efforts are applied. 



Plants, not possessing the powers of locomotion, 

 can only thrive in those spots which contain the 

 juices necessary for their support, and as the or- 

 gans through which they derive what may be cal- 

 led their food, are extremely small, it follows that 

 every matter to be introduced into them must be in 

 a state of solution. Fermentation is not neces- 

 sary to prepare the food of plants, althojgh solu- 

 tions intended to nourish them must not be too con- 

 centrated, or the vegetable organs will become clog- 

 ged, and the transpiration by the leaves prevented. 

 The great object in the application of manure 

 ahould therefore be to afford as much soluble mat- 



ter as possible to the roots of the plant so gradu il- 

 ly as to (UKsuro its being taken up and consumed in 

 forming its sap and solid parts. All vi'gelable ma- 

 nures contnin a large quantity of fibrous and inso- 

 luble matter, which must undergo certain chemical 

 changes before they can be made thus available. 

 Animal matters decompose more readily, and are 

 sooner prepared for usp. The principal substances, 

 either constituting the bodies of animals, or found 

 in their blood or excrements, are gel at inc, fib rine, mu- 

 cus, fatty or oily matter, albumen, urea, uric acid, sa- 

 line, and earthly matters. All these substances may 

 be used for manure, and require more or less soluble 

 in water; those that are easily disolvod sliould not 

 be exposed to fermentation or putrefaction, and 

 those processess are only useful wlien the manure 

 consist principally of animal or vegetable fibre. 

 Gelatine, wlien combined with water, becomes jelly, 

 and is easily soluble. Fibrine is not soluble in 

 water, but by the action of acids it becomes ana- 

 loo'ous to gelatine ; putrefaction with heat and ex- 

 posure to the air, will reduce it from a solid to a 

 liquid, and a considerable quantity of ammonia and 

 carbonic acid is formed. Mucus is easily soluble 

 in water. Auimal fat and oils and albumen are 

 also soluble. Urea is very much so, and readily 

 undergoes putrefaction. Uric acid consists of car- 

 bon, hydrogen, oxygen, and azoti, and is least lia- 

 ble to undergo the process of f.-rmentation. Ac- 

 cordino' to the different proportions of these princi- 

 ple* in animal substances, the changes they under- 

 go are different — the progress of their decomposi- 

 tion is less rapid when mixed with saline or earthy 

 matter than when they are principally composed of 

 fibrine, albumen, gelatine, or urea. Ammonia, is 

 given off by animal compounds during their putre- 

 faction, and is formed by hydrogen and azoti ; the 

 other products are similar to those afforded by the 

 fermentation of vegetable substances, and the so- 

 luble substances formed abound in carbon, hydro- 

 gen, and oxygen, which may be called the constit- 

 uent parts of vegetables. 



The fertilizing power of all these substances, 

 when properly applied is very great, but it often 

 happens that they are wasted by being allowed to 

 remain exposed to the air, till they are either de- 

 stroyed by birds of prey or decomposed. — Their 

 use, indeed is not common except in certain cases, 

 which I shall afterwards point out. 



I am, sir, yours very obediently, 



A YEOMAN OF KENT. 



From the Western Karmar and Gardner. 



A COMPARISON OF THE DIFFERENT 

 BREEDS OP SHEEP. 



In the Western States, where land is, of course, 

 not so valuable as in the East, the Bakewell breed 

 of sheep, although of a more tender constitution 

 than the Southdown and CotswodI, and of coaser 

 and smaller fleece, may be advantageously kept for 

 their wool, notwithstanding its quality is rather 

 coarse ; it appears, however, from all the informa- 

 tion on this subject, (the comparative value of the 

 breeds of sheep,) thai the Southdown and (Jotswold, 

 are much hardier, better nurses of their lambs, and 

 require less attention through our winter, and will 

 live on shorter pasture in summer. The Merino 

 and Saxon sheep, have often too much the same 

 objection as the Bakewell ; they are of rather 

 weekly constitutions, and not very good in rearing 

 their lambs. Some of the Southdown wool is pret- 



ty fine and makes good cloth : the mutton is, per- 

 haps, superior to all other kinds, (excepting some 

 of the small Welsh breeds,) their constitutions are 

 very vigorous and strong, and they will make a 

 living ill any situation. The Cotswold are equal- 

 ly hardy, but want richer keep than the Southdown, 

 tiieir fleeces weigh heavy, and their quarters have 

 bi'en known to reach 80 pounds in England. 

 Some of the Southdown and Cotswold lambs have 

 weighed, at six months old, 60 pounds, and when 

 full erown iiJO pounds. It seems, amongst many 

 other "luird cast's" in agricultural efforts for im- 

 provoment among farmers, very diflicult to con- 

 vince people of the benefit they derive from having 

 good stock. They complain too much of the first 

 cost, without considering that in two or three years 

 there is a fair prospect of not only seeing their 

 money back again, but probably ten times as much 

 more. We do not wisli to advise farmers to go 

 beyond their means on much uncertainty, but we 

 do say, that twenty dollars laid out for the best 

 breed of pigs, and fifty to one hundred dollars for 

 sheep, or one hundred to two hundred dollars tow- 

 ards improving their cattle, will with proper man- 

 agement and attention to the sale of their produce, 

 pay a handsome profit at the end of a few years, 

 besides supplying superior articles at cheaper keep 

 (on account of the fattening properties of the best 

 breeds) (or domestic use, and enjoyment of both 

 sight and taste. We subjoin, in the first place, a 

 comparative statement of the value of the different 

 breeds of sheep. 

 Saxon Lamb ti months old, weighing 18 lbs. 



at 6 cents, SI 08 



Merino Lamb do. do. 20 1 20 



Bakewell do. do. 30 1 80 



Cotswold do. do. 60 3 CO 



Southdown do. do. 50 3 00 



In the second place, their wool 

 Saxon fleece weighing 3 lbs. at 40 cents $1 20 

 Merino do. 3 31 93 



Bakewell do. 5 20 1 00 



Cotswold do. 10 25 2 50 



Southdown do. 5 31 1 55 



Of course this is rating the best breed of sheep at 

 the price of the common kind, which cannot be, for 

 a long time to come. These animals are npw 

 worth about twenty dollars each at least. 



In the third place we give a comparative state- 

 ment of the sheep when full grown : — 

 Saxon Sheep weighing 50 lbs. at 4 cents $2 00 

 Merino do, GO 4 2 40 



Bakewell do. 110 4 4 40 



Southdown do. 240 4 9 60 



E. J. H. 



Rohan Potatoes. — Tlie Shakers at Enfield, N. H. 

 have raised the present season from one potato of 

 tlie Rohan kind weighing 7 oz, 171 lbs. or 2 1-2 

 bushels. One eye produced 12 lbs. 3 oz., and one 

 potato weighed 3 lbs. 5 oz. We doubt if our farm- 

 ing friends can produce a greater yield from a sin- 

 gle potato than has been done by the Society of 

 Friends at Enfield. — Far. Monthly Visitor. 



A TRUTH. — The farmer who consumes all he 

 raises, and runs in debt for what he buys, is cer- 

 tainly in a bad way; and a nation that pursues the 

 same course must expect to arrive at the same re- 

 sult, namely, bankruptcy. — Mb. Cult, 



The number of sheep in Vermont is estimated 

 at not short of 1,170,000, 



